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Yarphese March
|combatant2= Thailand Vietnam Cambodia Malaysia |commander1= Trầng Chúp Long Lưu Yăng Nhung Phùng Quang Yâng |commander2= Surayud Chulanont Trần Đức Lương Hun Sen Sirajuddin |strength1= Vietnamese Liberation Army initially: 550,000 eventually: 6,000,000 |strength2= 762,000 2,150,000 511,000 394,000 |casualties1= Estimated: 820,000 |casualties2= Estimated: 1,510,000 |notes= }} The Yarphese March was a 2,400 kilometre march by the Vietnamese Liberation Army from 1994 to 1996. Beginning as a city-state in Saigon, the Grand Yarphese Republic spread towards Cambodia, Thailand, and eventually Singapore by the time of the "Completion of the Grand Yarphese Republic," now celebrated as "Singapore Day." It is compared to the Long March both in length and heroism as well as success. Trầng Chúp Long, the general at the time, is now one of the most famous people in the world, controlling a somewhat vast republic in Southeast Asia. Background The Vietnamese Liberation Army was at first only a tightly knit group of radicals with a base in the Australian Kimberley. At first it was considered a harmless secret Maoist organization of Vietnamese and others meeting in Australia to discuss change, but its beligerence was revealed as it shocked the world by invading Ho Chi Minh City (now Saigon), Vietnam's largest city and an important seaport. Civil war had returned to Vietnam after twenty-four years of peace. However, this time the Vietnamese Liberation Army was victorious. However, the small empire, Long knew, was destined to fail if it did not quickly gain more territory. Driven by geopolitics and môıtrườngsống, the Yarphese equivalent for the German term Lebensraum, Long believed that a successful nation was forced to expand beyond its borders or else desintigrate. In order to do this, he put into effect a plan for seizing much of Southeast Asia, and eventually creating a large empire comparable to that of the British. Capture of Southern Vietnam The weakened Vietnam People's Army was severely weakened by the battle at Saigon, but it was still able to retaliate quickly as the Vietnamese Liberation Army spread throughout Southern Vietnam a few months later. There were two armies in this invasion. The First Route Army, led by Trầng Chúp Long, traveled inland, directly, in order to cut off South Vietnam. This was a very difficult march, and much of the army survived without ample food. In addition, repeated invasions from the Vietnam People's Army caused high casualties. However, the Vietnam People's Army knew that it could not win against an army to which it had already lost, with added troops from Saigon. The completely flat land and dense population of the area made guerilla-style warfare difficult, but Yarphei made use of the small "high ground" it could in order to defend, and traveled mainly at night. In order to prevent deaths from the over thirty-thousand troops marching through the area, martial law was declared in the Mekong Delta and in Southeast Vietnam. Unfortunately, the heavy cutoff of South Vietnam prevented southern militias from reacting in time. Several small skirmishes occurred along this route, and one major battle. In central Long Xuyen province, the Vietnam People's Army ambushed the Vietnamese Liberation Army. Soldiers continued to pour from nearby, confining the thirty-thousand Yarphese troops to a small mountain and a nearby village. In the morning, the Vietnamese People's air force opened fire on the VLA camp, causing heavy casualties, and forcing the VLA to directly attack the VPA's lines. The battle that followed resulted in 9,480 confirmed Yarphese deaths and 10,222 injuries. However, after three days of ceaseless fighting, the Yarphese flag was raised over the mountain, and victory was proclaimed. This battle, known as the Battle of Dức Hoà, was the turning point of the war. After this battle, the army marched towards the coast to meet up with the Second Route Army. Under Phùng Quang Yâng, the Second Route Army was securing the coast of Vietnam and Ca Mau city. This march, unlike the march to the highlands, was more convenient, as many were able to gain food through fishing. While plundering was against the Yarphese code of conduct, heightened South Vietnamese nationalism allowed many soldiers to be quartered within houses. The National Anthem of South Vietnam became the unofficial anthem of the march, and many South Vietnamese even waved or raised Republic of Vietnam flags as the soldiers passed by villages. There were no major land battles; instead the march consisted of hundreds of small skirmishes involving fewer than a thousand troops. Along this route, however, there was a bitter naval fight for water territory. The Vietnamese government had asserted that if it could not maintain the Mekong River Delta, that it would fight to the end for maritime rights. Yarphei lacked military ships, but it managed to get ahold of a container vessel which it converted into a temporary military ship. In addition, the battleship VLN Giai Phong proved to be excellent naval asset. A major naval battle took place of the coast of Kien Giang province between the VLN Giai Phong and a Pauk-BPS 500. The Vietnamese ship sank completely, and its crew was taken prisoner, before being promptly released. As a turning point of the southern march, the Yarphese victory severely damaged the Vietnamese naval reputation. Invasion of Cambodia The two armies met near Ha Tien, and spent a few weeks recuperating. Martial law, meanwhile, was declared in South Vietnam. Because of the fast nature of the Vietnamese portion of the march, it was important to make the transition period worthwhile. However, morale soon shot up and the invasion of Cambodia began. Fighting as one unified army under Phùng Quang Yâng (Long had fallen ill with double pneumonia five days earlier), the now experienced Yarphese Army advanced out of the familiar land of Vietnam. Cambodia's army presented quite a challenge as soon as the VLA entered the Takéo province. Morale severely dropped at this point when Yarphei lost a battle near Tram Kak. However, the Army fought on as far as Phnom Penh. Yâng sent a small army to surround and occupy the city. However, an interception by the Cambodian government found Yarphese plans, and the VLA was forced to retreat. The first major battle took place at Sihanoukville, where the Cambodian Army met the VLA near the Sihanoukville autonomous port. The VLN Giai Phong began to shell the port at midgnight, and the Cambodian Army began to shell back. At the end of the battle, it was unclear who had won, as both ended up retreating. After several more months of fighting, Yarphei had Cambodia south of the Mekong and Tonle Sab Rivers, and Yarphei and Cambodia signed an armistice agreement. However tensions between Yarphei and Cambodia continued well into the next decade. As Yarphei continued to take over the Pailin area, it faced the challenge of expelling and facing the Khmer Rouge, who occupied the area in great numbers. Fighting with the Khmer Rouge presented an additional difficulty, although eventually the Khmer Rouge was completely wiped out, and its members were tried and deported to the former penal colony of Phúquốc. Thailand The journey through Thailand required similar tenacity. By this time, the United Nations was sending relief efforts to protect further invasions, stationing troops from Bangladesh to Indonesia to Hong Kong. The VLA was met by Thai and UN soldiers as soon as the border was crossed, initiating the Battle of Mai Rut. It took place in the narrow coastal Amphoe (district) of Khong Yai, when the VLN Giai Phong landed on the coast of Mai Rut at the mouth of a small stream. The army of Trat Province quickly began to retaliate, beginning at midnight. The army began firing on the ship to catch any crew on the deck. However, this proved futile. A few days later, VLA members spilled out of the boat and encircling the military camp onshore. The fighting that ensued was a difficult but clear Yarphese victory. As the VLA marched on briskly, making as many as thirty miles a day, the entire Thai army was after the million Yarphese troops. However, as expected, they did not respond immediately, knowing that they might be able to salvage Bangkok if they put most of their resources there. However, many small battles such as the Battle of Patna, Battle of Klaeng, and Battle of Samet Nuea. Yarphei claimed victory on all three, but it was severely deprived of ammunition, and reinforcements from Saigon were slow to arrive due to Thai forces patrolling for the ships containing VLA resources. In addition, morale was weakened due to the high number of casualties. The final battle took place in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok. In this case, Thailand claimed victory. As Yarphese forces stormed the city, Thai forces were quick to react, pushing the VLA out of the city completely and chasing it several miles. Seeing that the northern approach to Bangkok was unfavourable, Long decided to enter the city through the east entrance to take the Thai army by surprise, after reaching there by water south of Bangkok. As Long had expected, the defenses were weaker on this side, but it did not make the trip much easier. After a week of fighting, only a third of the city had been taken by Yarphei. Soon, the Thai Army had chased out the Yarphese Army, despite Yarphei's strong hold on East Thailand. Fighting experienced a short stalemate as the VLA waited for reinforcements. Two weeks later, Yarphei resumed attack on Bangkok in the form of an air raid with planes purchased from the East Asian Federation only a few months before. At the same time, several hundred thousand troops seized the city through guerilla tactics. Fighting lasted for four days before the Thai government was asked to leave, which it did, quickly fleeing to Chiang Mai. A few days later, the Treaty of Udon Thani was signed between the Thai government of the VLA describing what would happen to Bangkok and the Thai government after occupation. By March 1995, the March slowed its pace slightly. The new strategy was known as the lasso strategy, which involved "lassoing" chunks of Thailand and cutting them off from the rest of Thailand. Although this strategy simplified the task at hand, it did not facilitate it, as the Thai army, despite damages, would easily be able to recover with most of the international community on its side. Thailand was split into "chunks" which correspond to present-day provinces of Yarphei. By focusing on these one at a time, there wouldn't be such a burden on the army. After all, once Bangkok was taken over, the rest would follow easily. The fighting continued to be intense, but both Thailand and Yarphei foresaw Yarphese victory. Several battles occurred through encounter, and many involved encirclement using the lasso technique. During the campaign, led by Lưu Yăng Nhung, the Thai government did not provide as many resources as they wanted to, instead piling them into Phuket and Songkhla, cities which it hoped to salvage as strategic bases to oppose Yarphei later. After taking over the preponderance of its goals in Thailand, the VLA attacked Phuket immediately. Hundreds of thousands of Thai troops continuously pushed back the VLA until the VLA gave up the attempt. In Songkhla, the VLA was more lucky. The first battle was arranged to take place on Ko Samui, on the present-day site of Tranh Chup-yar City. The VLN Giai Phong and a Thai transport vessel landed at an arranged time, and fought brutally, endangering the inhabitants of Ko Samui. The massive battle engulfed the whole island with bombs and gunfire, eventually causing the Thai commander to surrender. It was maybe the most heroic Yarphese victory, as there were twice as many losses on the VLA side, but it was a clear victory. After finishing up Thailand, the VLA made one last attempt to capture Phuket, but it failed the attempt at shelling the town from the sea. The last loose ends were cleared up without a treaty, much in the manner of the Chinese Civil War. Malaysian Campaign During the Thai campaign, Trầng Chúp Long was leading a campaign for the seizure of Malaysia. On 12 September 1995, Trầng Chúp Long and his army landed at Khota Baharu. The plan for Malaysia was to simply cut off a narrow coastline to complete an unbroken ribbon from Saigon to Singapore. The Malaysian government was unable to respond without a large army, and quickly enacted conscription. However, the Malay armed forces were still insufficient to prevent Yarphese takeover. In order to avert possible danger, Malaysia evacuated much of the population to Kuala Lumpur and placed military bases at major ports such as Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, and Johor Baharu. As the Vietnamese Liberation Army's objectives were unclear, Malaysia put smaller forces on Malaysia's west coast, should Yarphei choose to claim all of Peninsular Malaysia. In order to claim each city, the VLA underwent a series of battles to ensure that there was a thorough hold on this part of Malaysia. In an overconfident gesture, Long sent only 20,000 troops to capture Kuala Terengganu. There, the Malay army heavily defeated the VLA, hurting the VLA's reputation. After a week of recuperation, Long sent a second force, this time with 300,000 troops, which quickly took over the city, with only a few thousand casualties. The next battle that took place in Kuantan was much more difficult. Having lost much of its army at Kuala Terengganu, the Malay military was willing to put many more resources into halting the Vietnamese Liberation Army at that specific city. North of Kuantan, the Malay military ambushed the Vietnamese Liberation Army. The fighting that ensued was costly for both sides. The destruction was immense because both armies were bent on mainly destruction of resources. Three days later, the Yarphese Army retreated south. The Malay Army began to bombard the VLA in their march south, so the VLA built an underground shelter within a day in order to recuperate and wait for the army under Lưu Yăng Nhunh to join up. When Nhung finally reached the shelter a month later, the VLA marched on as one to Johor Baharu where it met the Malaysian Army. This was the most difficult battle besides taking over of Bangkok and Saigon, and it involved encircling the city and closing in on buildings. The fighting lasted for two weeks before the Malay government gave in, and although the Yarphese government was weakened, it came across as strong. Singapore, which had witnessed the battle from across the Johor Strait instead of fighting, felt obligated to surrender, fully completing Long's dream of a unified Yarphei. Aftermath Although it was costly, the Yarphese March provided the unification Yarphei needed to become an economic power made out of the prosperous East Asian ports. It also helped the VLA gain support among the inhabitants of geographic Yarphei. Long said in a speech in late 1996: “The Yarphese march has declared to the people that the VLA are a powerful force aimed at freedom and liberation for all. It has made subterfuges to every attempt for another country. The proud soldiers have made it clear for 64 million people of five ethnic backgrounds that the VLA is a strong persevering army for the welfare of the people.” In desperate times, the feverent following of the VLA points of conduct helped the VLA gain support among those of all classes, especially the peasants and industry-workers. However, hostilities with former countries continued. Vietnam and Yarphei continued to remain hostile through the 2010 Yarphese War, but soon gained trust and decided to form diplomatic relations. In Cambodia's case, a slight distrust grew, but eventually everything cleared up when Cambodia joined the Organization of Independent States. Yarphei's relations with Thailand never recovered, and it is a common allusion in the western world to how Thailand invades Yarphei periodically every five years. However, Thailand's joining CEAS has eased tensions slightly. Finally, Malaysia and Yarphei continue to be hostile, but not at the level as with Thailand. The Yarphese March was made into a movie in 2003, a movie aired in all public schools, including many former participants. The movie was entitled Yellow Ribbon describing Yarphei's shape as a ribbon along the coast. However, the movie is idealized slightly and includes Yarphese Fascism in place of communism as the official policy at the time. See Also Formation of the Grand Yarphese Republic Completion of the Grand Yarphese Republic Vietnamese Liberation Army Trầng Chúp Long Lưu Yăng Nhung Phùng Quang Yâng Long March Category:Yarphei Category:Events Category:Wars